UNITED KINGDOM, January 15, 2014 (BBC): The US has returned to India three ancient sculptures that had been smuggled into the US by art dealers and accomplices. The 11th-12th Century sandstone sculptures had been stolen from temples in India and offered for sale in the US.

India's consul general in New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay, expressed gratitude to US.

"I'd really like to express very heartfelt gratitude to US authorities for having invested so much time, energy and resources in obtaining, securing and now helping us repatriate these [statues] to the place where they belong," Mr. Mulay was quoted as saying by The Hindu newspaper.

James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations, said "excellent cooperation" between the two countries had "led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities". "The pilfering of a nation's cultural patrimony cannot and will not be tolerated," he said.

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